Obama And Israel

The American president has the power to end the
Israeli occupation within months. The conquest of the "Third Kingdom of
Israel" following the 1956 Sinai Campaign collapsed within weeks. We
could return to that situation, despite the stumbling blocks of the
settlements, with a clear timetable for evacuation, severe sanctions
for noncompliance and generous assistance for those staying the course ...The tools in Obama's kit are varied: A congressional delegation
visiting here recently entertained the idea, in private conversations
at least, that the U.S. prohibit Israel from using American weapons in
the West Bank; someone suggested levying strict limitations on Israelis
entering America. But perhaps it would be enough to simply retract the
automatic U.S. veto at the UN - and this is without mentioning stopping
the flow of aid.

The real news is that contrary to what many expected, or feared,
President Obama assumed positions virtually identical to those of
Israel’s political center - namely, that the Palestinians must
renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist, while Israel
must cease settlement building and permit a Palestinian state to arise.
Now, Benjamin Netanyahu’s problem is that it’s difficult to distinguish
between President Obama and Tzipi Livni.

And in Israel’s recent
elections, Livni and her Kadima party won more votes than anyone else.
But the major “problem” that the speech poses for Israel’s leaders
is that Israelis are finally going to have to make painful decisions
about our future. No longer will Israel’s fractious politics provide a
curtain behind which to hide. Will we abide a Palestinian state, or are
we committed to the present stalemate as a matter of principle? Are we
committed to keeping the West Bank (for reasons of security, history or
theology), or are we open to withdrawing if a genuine peace accord is
possible? If all Jews will have to depart the West Bank, what about
Arabs in Israel? For years, we’ve fudged on these painful questions;
with President Obama, that may no longer be possible.

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